Christie is FINISHED: Former Campaign Manager Says Christie Knew About Bridgegate!

Governor Chris Christie’s fall from grace continued yesterday, even as he announced his Presidential ambitions.

While speaking to the Fiscal Summit, Christie addressed the Bridgegate scandal that has plagued him in recent months.  Referring to the 2016 election, Christie said, “I think this will be a footnote by the time any of these decisions are made.”

Unfortunately for Christie, the scandal may get worse before it gets better.  According to Bill Stepien, Christie’s former campaign manager who lost his job when the scandal broke, the Governor was fully aware of the plan to shut down lanes on the George Washington Bridge.

Stepien said, “[H]e told Christie about the GWB traffic plans on Dec. 12, a day before the governor told reporters his staff didn’t know about them. Christie issued a public apology on Jan. 9, claiming he was lied to by members of his staff on the controversy. Stepien’s lawyer, Kevin Marino, blasted an internal investigation the governor ordered that concluded Stepien had misled Christie about the politically motivated September closures.”

Donors are also viewing Christie as a cancer to the Republican  Party.  At the same time Governor Christie was speaking to the Fiscal Summit:

[H]is Wall Street donors were pronouncing him dead, and shopping for another candidate. According to the AP, “Shortly after Christie discussed his White House ambitions in Washington on Wednesday, Republican donors gathered for a hedge fund conference in Las Vegas shared a decidedly pessimistic view of Christie’s presidential prospects. Even self-proclaimed Christie fans said his political brand probably has suffered permanent damage, acknowledging they’ve been forced to look elsewhere for a business-friendly presidential contender.”

Just after Hurricane Sandy, Christie came across as a reasonable Republican.  He appeared to be somebody who could work across party lines, while placing blame at his own party when necessary.  Then, Christie’s brashness was fully revealed when political retribution scandals started to break.  The image he worked so hard to create post-Sandy had been destroyed.  Christie needs to come to terms with what everybody else has realized—his political career is over.